Abate on Roma defeat: must finish chances against top sides

Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has turned his attention to Saturday's home match against Roma after his side drew 0-0 with Parma. Speaking to Dazn at the final whistle, the Nigerian said: "We always want to win and we need points. At Parma we took one and that's fine, now straight away our focus is on the next one." Udinese have been unlucky in recent games, and Okoye pointed to the absence of key players as a factor. "In these matches we have been unlucky, and then we were missing players like Zaniolo, whose importance we saw today." The Italian headline's quote, "We will play to win", reflects the same determination heading into the clash with Roma. The Friuli side face Roma at home on Saturday, with the Giallorossi arriving in Udine looking to continue their campaign. Okoye's comments underline Udinese's need for points as they look to climb the table, and his praise for Zaniolo highlights how much the hosts have missed their creative presence during recent fixtures.

Roma travel to Udinese on Saturday at 20:45 in the tenth round of Serie A, at the Bluenergy Stadium, four days after beating Cagliari at home. Gasperini's side must again do without starters Svilar, Koné and Dybala, but can count on Malen, who already has 10 goals this season, and an Soulé in outstanding form. On the other side, the spotlight falls on Nicolò Zaniolo, the hero of Roma's Conference League triumph who left the capital amid controversy. Zaniolo remains one of Udinese's most unpredictable players, combining physicality, ball carrying and an ability to attack the box. The former Roma midfielder can operate behind the striker or start wider before cutting inside on his left foot, relying above all on the power of his runs and his ability to withstand physical contact with defenders. This early Serie A campaign has seen him make 4 appearances, 3 of them as a starter, for a total of 245 minutes, without a goal or an assist so far. His attacking numbers remain flat, partly because of an injury that affected him in recent weeks, but he is still one of the players Udinese rely on to create overloads and to spark their play in the final thirty metres. Against Roma he is expected to try to exploit the transitions and the spaces left by Gasperini's high defensive line. Soulé, by contrast, has shown more consistency and greater incisiveness, and has become one of the pillars of Roma's attack, even more so with Dybala absent. The Argentine often starts from the right before cutting inside onto his left foot, but within Gasperini's system he has the freedom to move between the lines, drop into midfield and combine with the other forwards. His start to the league season has been very positive: 9 appearances, 6 as a starter, 594 minutes played, 3 goals and 1 assist. Those numbers place him among the most productive players in the squad, with 4 direct goal contributions in Serie A. He combines quality in dribbling, a good final pass and danger in front of goal, as shown by the goal he scored in the recent 3-3 draw at Napoli. His growth in mentality in this first part of the season has also stood out, with a sense of security and leadership that is increasingly evident.

Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has set his sights on Roma after his side's draw with Parma, saying his team must keep collecting points. Speaking to Dazn on Wednesday, Okoye said: "We always want to win and we need points. At Parma we took one and that's fine, now straight away our focus is on the next one." The clash with Roma is at the Dacia Arena on Saturday, with kickoff at 18:00. Udinese were left frustrated by their recent results, and Okoye believes they have been unlucky in these type of games. He also pointed to the absence of Nicolò Zaniolo, the former Roma midfielder now at Udinese, as a reason for the setbacks. Okoye said: "In these matches we have been unlucky, then we have missed players like Zaniolo, whose importance we have seen today."